It might be true for wood construction, though I doubt it. But it makes no sense at all for concrete block construction, which is the bulk of housing in Central Florida.
Speaking of opossums, did you know they really like to eat roaches? OP, your girlfriend could leave the back door open some night and maybe get a 'possum inside to clean up the roach problem. Oh, I know they look like giant rats. And when surprised in their nocturnal amblings, their defensive display includes snarling, hissing, copious drooling, and displaying their teeth (of which they have more than any other North American terrestrial mammal). But if that doesn’t chase you off in horror, they fall over in a dead faint and “play possum”. You can then sweep them out the door again 
.
RNATB, even CBS houses usually have wooden roof trusses/frames, as well as wood “furring strips” in the walls between the blocks and the gypsum board, and in cabinetry. But you’re still right, tenting isn’t recommended except as a treatment for living termite infestations. It isn’t prophylactic and provides no lasting protection. (I didn’t say “no lasting benefit” because I suspect the applicator receives some of that…)
I think I like you! 
Yeah, but even Formosan termites aren’t likely to infest a roof with so little good eatin’ in between. And the furring strips are just there to hold the drywall up, right? They’re not structural.
Correct, not structural. But I’d hate to have them eaten up! Something’s gotta keep the drywall in place!
I admit, I’m not a bug expert. My critter skills involve larger things, like those alligators mentioned above. But I’ve lived in Florida since 1956 and I’ve known plenty of people whose CBS buildings sustained serious termite damage. Every house I’ve ever owned has been CBS, but termite inspections are a regular part of purchase contracts. I sold one in 2012 that required “termite treatment” (although an alternative to tenting was allowed) because the buyer’s inspection revealed an infestation in one corner of the roof.
“No, hunny, really, just think of him like a big angry cat that you don’t want to pet, or get near”
Jacking old people out of cash is second only to ripping off tourists to keep the Florida economy going. The guy was full of it.
It has been said upthread but this is just not true. In my entire time in Florida I have seen exactly 1 place (a small quad-plex) tented. It is definitely not the norm.
This.
If all the apartments aren’t treated on a regular basis, the roaches and palmetto bugs won’t die off. That’s the key. Otherwise, they just leave a sprayed apartment and hang out in an unsprayed one for a bit.
The exterminators also have to do more than spray in Florida. There’s a whole freakin’ science to what goes on – bait, traps, spray, more spray, different treatments for the lawn, and so on.
I’d also suggest radically changing how she stores food. Bread? That no longer lives in a breadbox or on the shelf, it goes in the fridge or freezer. Sugar? In a tupperware or glass container. In the freezer if there’s room. Pet food? In a tupperware container. Crackers? Don’t just fold down the bag, put the whole box in a ziploc baggie. Ditto for cookies. Keep the tops of counters wiped off and empty of food, and the toaster crumb tray spotless. Sweep daily. You have to keep those little crumbs gone, you can’t leave anything for them to eat.
Also, if the person has pets, I’d suggest a good flea and tick treatment plan STAT.
(Another Florida native here. Also the owner of a nice scar from a spider bite. On my bum.)
Oh, and watch out for fire ants. I have scars on my ankle from bites sustained in 2001. Little bastards.
I got stung by a scorpion, once, when I lived in FL. Called the hospital in a panic; What do I do? Get a tetanus shot, they’re not poisonous. Crap!
From a personal standpoint, this is my biggest fear.
I haaaaate and cannot do ants, it is my craziest phobia and I just hate them
There are all kinds of entertaining ways to get rid of a mound of fire ants. Bleach. Boiling water. Explosives. Fire.
My favorite is called “calling the exterminator and staying the hell away from it.”
But for a small mound, a huge pot full of boiling water does a lot of damage. It takes a bit of practise to be able to pour the water into the ant-hill hole and not get bitten, though.
I live in Georgia, so I’m familiar with most of these critters, but I’d never experienced love bugs until a trip to Florida last September. Holy cow! It was like driving through a snow storm of bugs.
I live in an older house and the worst place that I regularly find palmetto bugs is in my bedroom crawling in the gap between the ceiling and the crown molding. They are totally protected from attack with a shoe and if I spray them, they fly. I hardly ever see them anywhere else in that room. I have no idea why they end up in that gap so often.
We moved to florida two years ago and were dreading the bugs. Turns out they haven’t been a problem at all for us. Hardly ever see any in the house. We have an ass load of snails and lizards though. Few lizards have gotten in the house and a frog once. No roaches or flys etc… The snails are nasty though. They are always out on my pool deck sliming around. Always a couple that fall in and I gotta scoop them out.
Vinegar is a good one, too. Bonus points if you heat it to boiling first.
Molten aluminum is also good for filling up ant colonies. You get a nice piece of art afterwards.
Who told you they aren’t venomous? How else would it sting you?
They’re venomous. The local poison control centers have an irritating habit of referring to nondeadly venomous creatures as “nonvenomous”. What they mean is none of Florida’s native scorpion species is dangerous to humans.